CYBER BAKA
by 7055362
Summary: Momo Hinamori's traumatic childhood results in her stoic personality-but she has a little secret. A weakness for technology and an imaginary pen-pal. What could go wrong? EVERYTHING.
1. Message1

_**A pen-pal is a person you write to. A pen-pal consoles you. A pen-pal is someone with whom you can entrust your greatest secrets. A pen-pal is your best friend. A pen-pal is everything you need.**_

_That's what everyone had been telling me. And their opinions had become stronger and stronger as years went by. Especially as my mother had passed away quite some time ago. _

_I thought about it, and I found it tad weird. What if your pen-pal was a bad person? How could you trust someone you didn't know, let alone tell them all your secrets?_

_All those questions didn't seem to bother me too much as I stood there in the rain. Drenched. Soaking wet. Wearing nothing but my formal kimono—hair in a mess and dripping wet. Why was I doing that? I didn't know. By freaking HELL, I didn't know._

_For all I knew, my mother's lifeless body lay a few yards away from me, neatly wrapped in that typical Japanese coffin, ready to be taken to the incinerator. There were priests and people I didn't even know—they were crying. God knows why. I wasn't even crying myself._

_That day, that rainy afternoon to be exact, standing in the rain was the only thing I could think of. Occasionally the people gathered near my mother's corpse would hold their mouths and cry softly,_

"The poor thing…I wish I could take her home…what a poor child. As fate may have it, she has no way to contact her father either…"

"What, you don't know? Her father died years ago in a plane-crash. Its really very sad. The girl's going to have to live on her own now."

"What? That's terrible! What about her financial state of matters?"

"Her mother's company has agreed to send her the required amount every month till the girl turns 20. That's a relief. But I doubt if she knows how to run the house. Even if its just an apartment, it isn't easy."

"It was such a peaceful family…and now its come to an end…"

"Matsuri. She was 45, wasn't she?"

"Yes. And Momo-chan?"

"Sixteen. She's doing her second year in high school…"

"What a pity, such a young child! And it will hurt her even more because she understands her situation very well…"

"Sad, isn't it? For Matsuri to die of Liver-cancer like this…"

_Of course, I was busy getting wet to listen to their old-talk. Whats the use? I've been hearing that all this while. They're always pitying on me, sympathizing with me and treating me like a helpless creature. It really, REALLY sickened me. But the problem was that…I had no one to say this to. No one there was ready to listen to my rants and worries. No one. And I didn't care either._

_The fact is, even when my mother was alive, they were no different. My mother, Matsuri Hinamori, was a surgeon. Its almost funny how she was the one to find out for herself that she was diagnosed with liver cancer. She lasted 6 months._

_She was a nice mother. Really. She worked very hard just for me. But hers was a sad life. Always filled with surgeries, family problems, and worst of all, she had to deal with an introverted child (such as myself) at home. Add to that, she was widowed when she was 35. By all means, death was a savior. _

_A lot of people thought I was really depressed over her death. In all honesty, I wasn't. And I'm still not. My mother wasn't the beautiful woman who'd wait eagerly for her kid to return from school, standing in that motherly posture, wearing that typical apron. No, she was in fact, a workaholic, an alcoholic and a heavy smoker. She was always worried about her little problems, one of them being me. As for me, I got to see her once in a few months. I spent my childhood with my grandparents in Miyazaki, and I never really missed her. Not at all._

…_._

_Now that I think about it, I was an orphan. I had no relatives after my mother's death. Except for my grandparents—who were way too old to stay with. And hell, I couldn't possibly impose on them any longer._

_I'm a grown-up now, I can live all on my own. Or so I thought._

_But at that time, there was one thing that I needed more that food or money: emotional support. I was a heart-broken 16-year-old, orphaned, and emotionally depressed. And it was at that sad moment that the most brilliant idea struck my head._

_I'd get myself a pen-pal._

…_._

_I never signed up for those pen-pal sites. I never bothered. It wasn't that I didn't know how to, I simply didn't bother. In fact, I had other ideas._

_I would create my own pen-pal._

_An imaginary person. They don't have to reply to me. As long as they stay quiet and listen to my problem, I should be fine, I thought. That's right. _

_And that's how he was born. My one and only pen-pal. And I called him __**Shiro-chan**__._

…_._

_Of course, Shiro-chan wasn't the only one who kept me company. There was Wu as well. Who's Wu, you ask? Hah, don't consider me retarded—but __**Wu**__ is the name of my mini-laptop that I strap around my waist. I take Wu everywhere, he's part of me. He really is. _

_Moreover for he was a present from my mother. She gave him to me on my 12__th__ birthday. Well, I don't mean to say that I'm a spoilt brat or anything. But that's the only thing my mother could think of presenting me. And boy, he was so cute! He still is! He's pinkish-red and he's really small. He works on Windows 7. A fine tiny for further technical issues, I SWEAR I don't know. And I don't care. He keeps me company, and that's all I need._

_And he was even more important because Shiro-chan lived inside him. Really._

_Shiro-chan was an imaginary person. I imagined him to be a small child who listened to all my rants. I started out by typing my entry on a document-file. And then I'd save it to this folder—Shiro-chan. Yeah, that's what I'd do. I did that every night, in fact. Shiro-chan would always be there, listening to me quietly. And this was a little secret—just between me, Wu and Shiro-chan. _

_A lovely, retarded and lame life. _

_There you have it. My whole entire life so far. I'm having a great time, and I have no troubles at all. I have no worries. I'm doing great. And everybody's kind to me…Everybody's…_

"HEY! Isn't that the poor scholarship-kid from Miyazaki?"

"Heck yea! Man, that's one cool laptop she's got there!" Two guys watching the girl typing away in her mini-laptop smirked.

"Let's check her out, dude!"

"And that laptop—"

"Yea, yeah."

They walked towards her. The girl immediately stopped typing and slowly turned her head up to look at the approaching boys. Her eyes were a hazel dull and she seemed to have dark eye-bags. All in all, she looked downright scary.

The boys sweat-dropped. "Uhmm….Err…P-Pleased to meet you, umm…err…"

"Hinamori. Momo Hinamori." The girl clarified.

"A-Ah! H-Hinamori-chan! Nice to meet you! I'm—"

"You're Tatsu Nagama and the guy next to you is Takeshi Moraeru. Correct?"

The two of them shivered.

"H-How the hell do you know us?"

"Ah, I know. I've heard a lot of rumours about you two going around harassing girls. That kinda stuff is damn sick, you know that? You guys shouldn't be doing shameless crap like that…"

"Hey Tatsu, she talks too much, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, for an intro, that was lame..."

"Who do you think you are, Hina—"

"Shut your gobs, losers. Go pick on a weeny girl who'd listen to your big-talk. You're messing with the wrong woman."

"W-What was that?" Takeshi lounged forward. "Shut our whats? Shameless crap huh? Lets see how _you_ react to our shameless crap…" He grabbed her hand—

The sound of a violent punch resounded throughout the school campus. Everybody stopped to look at the threesome.

Takeshi had his face jammed on the wall (and boy, was he bleeding). Tatsu was trying his best to wriggle away from the girl. She had her arm wound around his neck, literally choking him. And unbelievably, she tossed him 270 degrees into the air—and he eventually crashed onto the wall, on top of Takeshi.

There was an eerie silence in the school grounds. Everybody shivered. The girl—or I should say, Momo, picked up her rucksack and boyishly put it over her shoulder, her priceless treasure strapped (as usual) to her slim waist. And she gave the two guys a deathly glare.

"If I see you guys playing around with girls ONE MORE TIME…you guys won't LIVE to regret."

….

_Oh that's right. I forgot to add. I know Karate, Kumite, Taekwondo, Kendo, Kyudou and a few ninja-moves. Hah, lucky me for THAT, my grandfather was an eccentric ninja-superstar. Really, that made me sound like a show-off, and it sounded really unreal didn't it? But its true—I'm not an expert at EVERY one of those, but I do know a good lot of each. _

_It comes in handy at times like that._  
>….<p>

"Sheesh! That Hinamori woman is plain scary! I really wonder if she's a _hannya_!"

"Hey, don't be so harsh on her, Kengo. She's really cute."

"You're the only one who thinks so, Masami!"

"That's not true, right Toshiro?...Toshiro!"

A white haired guy clicked about in his cell-phone.

"TOSHIRO!"

"W-What?"

His hair was longish at the back, and he had a fringe onto one entire side of his face (TOSHIRO'S NEW LOOK FROM THE MANGA!). His voice was smooth and icy. He gradually receded his typing and looked at his friend with his slender turquoise eyes. "What is it?"

"Momo Hinamori from 2-B is super cute right?"

"Who's tha—"

"SEE? I TOLD YOU MASAMI, YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS SO! Besides, your taste in girls really sucks! That girl really IS a hannya! She's got no feelings!"

"Right, right. Rant all you want, Kengo. I'm leaving. Hey Toshiro, quite being such a cyber-baka and come have lunch with me!"

"Yeah, comin…"

He finished with it and closed his cellphone. He then watched his friend walk into the cafeteria. With a sly smirk, he carefully unwrapped his sleeve—to reveal a high-tech mini-computer-slot that looked like a columnar bracelet. He placed his cellphone in the slot—it fit as perfectly as a sim-card.

"There…done…this is should be a complete success…."

He pressed a certain button on his phone, and the entire system unfolded—the bracelet on his hand now made his phone look like a tiny little laptop. And it looked very sophisticated. The tiny screen immediately showcased scores of data, source-codes and phonetic-files. He smiled.

"You're the best thing that could ever happen to me…." He then searched his pocket for another cellphone, and after a few clicks, he pressed the phone onto his ear.

"Hello? Hey Kazuri, the code's done. I'll be sending you the soft-copy in a few minutes time. Yea. Uh-huh. Sure. What? Ah, I have to see if it works. But I'm sure it will. I'll double check to find out. Yeah. Sure. Bye."

He hung up and sighed. "All right, now to test this baby. But…who on earth has a laptop in this sch—" An evil smile spread across his face.

"That Hinamori woman has a laptop right…? That's great. This program should let me hack into ANY computer I want…as long as I can locate their IP Address…And finding hers should be easy. Besides…using her machine as a tester would be easier than going round to that ultra-stupid internet café…those damn dudes never clean up their systems….hmmmm….I should ask Masataka Sensei—"

"TOSHIRO HITSUGAYA!"

He jerked around. "W-WHAT?"

"DUDE! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU FOR AGES! HURRY UP AND GET THAT BUTT MOVING!"

"A-Ah, M-Masami-kun, sorry about that…"

…

"Hey Masami…does that Hinamori-girl from 2-**B** use the internet portal?"

"Hmm…I heard she does…but she usually connects the modem to her mini-laptop."

"Ah, I see."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just wanted to ask…"

"Heh…I don't doubt you, Toshiro. You're that kind of person. A complete cyber-baka. Has any company hired you yet?"

"Well, I get offers everyday, but I reject them."

"W-WHAT? IDIOT! That's amazing! And yet you haven't even STARTED university! How old are you?"

"Uuh…seventeen…"

"Hell dude, you are DAMN lucky. With brains like THAT—"

"Hey, its nothing at all…"

"Na-ah! You big nerd!"

"W-Who're you calling a nerd!" He smirked and walked along.

…

"Thanks for letting me use the internet-IP-Log, sensei…"

"You're welcome, Hitsugaya-kun. Is this for some sort of development scheme?"

"Precisely. I need some specimen for my latest code."

"Ah. Lovely. Good luck!"

"Thank you very much!"

Toshiro walked past the hallway, with a precious piece of paper in his hand. He could easily figure out Momo's IP-Add, because he knew every other one.

Toshiro Hitsugaya was an academic prodigy. Yeah, sounds familiar doesn't it? He was a software-genius, being able to create excellent source-codes in the minimum time. Pretty obviously, he was a downright brainiac. Computers were everything to him—and he didn't just stop with software, he was also an expert at hardware issues. And having taken Physics as his sub-topic, he would now and then indulge in creating a few strange machines, most of the time, using his cellphone as a vital component.

But right then…would he really be able to hack into Momo's computer?

….

**Review please! Guess what, I won't update unless I get 15 reviews! Sou! KIRIBAN 15 REVIEWS! XD**

**Hey, I'm not being obnoxious at all. I need time to review, PLUS my exams are coming up next week. So by the time your guys review, it'll be summer, and HO-HO-HO, lucky me! XD**

**EDIT: December 2: Ah yes, my latest feedback agree on the fact that asking for 15 reviews is too much and I should just update. And heck, I KNOW its unreal. I mean, no way I'd get 15 reviews. But still, I haven't got the time to update, so I might as well keep the kiriban active. So seeya after my exams (which end in three weeks time. FML. Gaargh…=_=). **


	2. Message2

Toshiro looked at the screen and shook his face. Gradually, a sly smirk spread across his face.

"Heh, that was easy…" He began typing once again—he had been doing this for ten minutes already. Momo's computer's complete database lay clear on his screen.

"This girl's got the weirdest folders ever…I swear." He then shook his head. "Ah, wait, I'm here to hack into her internal control system—even a baby could hack into a pc, sheesh!" He ruffled his hair and typed in a few more commands after clearing the code.

"AH! Perfect! At this rate….heheheh…." He looked at his cellphone. "Wait until you hear THIS, Kazuri…"

Hacking into a computer using the internet-log is largely doable. Like, its tad easy—especially for someone like Toshiro. But the catch comes here: Can you use the same hacking program for intensely protected machines and supercomputers?

"You BET it's possible." He held the phone close to his ear. "It works a 100%, Kazuri. Sure does…..yeah, I checked those….yeah….yeah….no, her virus database is out of date, and besides, this isn't exactly a virus… ..mhmmm… .she won't know… ..yeah…. …I'll check it out once more with our school systems. If it works, there should be a disturbance for as long as we use it, right? …..yeah….okay….no, don't worry about the blackouts—I fixed that glitch….mhmm… ….sure….okay then, seeya soon." He hung up.

He then picked up his little tetra-pack of juice and sipped away. He began logging out of her computer—but suddenly, a strange feeling struck him. He blushed at the thought of it—What was wrong with a bit of peeking? He hacked into it afterall. But he shook his head and held his face.

"Shit, what am I thinking? This is a GIRL'S computer, damn it! Hell knows what she's got in there…she could have loads of erotic uncensored files…."

_Hinamori-chan from 2-B? Oh like HELL, she LOVES the Gundam Series! Tell you what, she doesn't have a single picture in her pc that's pink! _

Toshiro ruffled his hair again. "W-Well...m-maybe I'll find something interesting in there….mmm...ARGH, NOBODY WILL KNOW, FOR HEAVEN SAKE! I deserve to view her files! That's right!" He tapped about for sometime in his laptop.

"Hmmm….kid's taste in music ain't that bad….but she's got a bit too much of noisy guitar solos in here…."

He fiddled around with it for some more time. "Pictures—" He stopped. "NO. I'M NOT LOOKING AT THAT. She's a GIRL, who cares HOW boyish."

He went about viewing a few more files. "Documents…Calligraphy? Hahahahaha! HAIKU! OH FREAKING HELL, this is HILARIOUS! Lyrics….hmm…lemme see if she's got _Kumi Koda_'s _No Regret_….KYAH, SHE HAS IT? Well, well, she's got _Butterfly_ and—WAIT! SHE'S GOT THE WHOLE ALBUM! Aaargh! I'm so jealous~" He closed the folder. But just as he was about to close the main window, something caught his eye.

"W-WAIT, WHAT?" He narrowed his vision onto a certain folder-name. And his slender eyes shot open—wild and surprised.

"SHIRO-CHAN?"

….

The clock struck 2:00 AM. The moon shone brightly. Everyone and everything was asleep, tucked in their comfy beds, in their neat and tidy homes…except for one freaked out guy with silvery white-hair, who was freaking out more and more as he went about reading 50+ text files. Text files, filled with stuff that was addressed to him—by his pet-name.

Now really, how freaky is that? Considering that he found it in some super-weird girl's computer…

He couldn't utter a single word—doubt whether he even swallowed for three hours straight. He couldn't take his eyes off those text-files and their contents—one minute he'd be done with a file, he'd immediately open another one and so on so forth.

Some files were really funny—hilarious, to be exact. Some were sentimental, some were plain sad. And some were freaky.

It took him some time to figure out his situation though. And he came up with two points for a hypothesis.

Hinamori had a secret crush on him, and she put in all her feelings and emotions into this 'imaginary' character that represented him…its like, she didn't have the guts to confess to him, so she created this character named 'Shiro-chan' in memory of her first love—and that would also explain her crazy attitude.

Shiro-chan was her imaginary pen-pal who she wrote to whenever she had the time to, even though she knew he would never write back.

Toshiro sighed. "I'll go with point 2. Besides, its very clear that she doesn't expect an answer for all her entries…" He ruffled his hair and held his head. "Its actually kinda sad…" He then smiled vaguely.

"But heck, this is SO damn weird….seriously weird…tch…" He sighed once again as he closed her folders and logged off her system. He then set his laptop to hibernate and closed it.

"2….2 AM? That's insane…I haven't stayed up this late even for my practical exams…"

He couldn't take this off his head. I mean, how would you feel? You find a folder named after you filled with messages addressed to you—on a stranger's computer.

He grabbed a bite from the refrigerator and made his way back to his room, walking past his study…past his laptop…past those files…past those…

_Dear Shiro-chan,_

_I know you'll never reply to me, I know this whole thing is stupid and lame..._

_But I want to believe that you exist…even if this seems like a string of false hope..._

_I want to believe that you're actually sitting there,_

_Listening to all my rants and feelings…never replying a word._

_At first, it hurt me to think that no one, NO ONE would EVER read this…but then, I realized that if there was ONE person who'd read this, it would be you. Only you._

_You may never reply, you may never speak to me, but you're the best help I've ever got…you've supported me so many times, I can't explain how thankful I am…_

_And, don't worry about me too much, because…I really don't want to take your silence for granted…_

_I believe that you're there for me whenever I'm having a pinch,_

_I know you're there for me at all times…and that's all that I ask of you._

_Exist. Atleast, in my imagination. _

Toshiro slammed his fists onto his desk. "THIS. FREAKING. IDIOT!" –note, he screamed that.

"How long can she fool herself like this, damnit? This is just…STUPID! DAMN DOWNRIGHT STUPID! If I were her, I'd…I'd never do something like THIS! This woman is so damn weird…I swear!" He resumed walking to his bed…but halfway through, he swung back with a jerk and grabbed his laptop. He rammed onto his chair, and with great determination, he opened his system and configured the hacking-program. Within a few minutes, he opened her system.

The sound of fingers pressing against the keyboard-keys resounded throughout the house.

….

Momo opened her eyes sleepily—they became wider and wider and wider—and they crashed close. Minutes later, she jumped up.

"SHI—WHAT TIME IS I—" The clock struck eight.

She screamed. "AAAARGH! I'M SO DAMN DEAD TODAY!"

….

Masami grit his teeth. "K-Kengo…is Toshiro ALIVE?"

Kengo laughed his head off. "HAHAHAHA! What's wrong, Ishikabe Masami-kuuuun?"

"That guy isn't responding to ANY of my calls OR messages!"

"Is he ill or something?"

"HE WAS FINE YESTERDAY. Unless he's suffering from a hangover out of drinking too much…"

"Nah, Toshiro isn't that kinda person."

"You never know…either that or he's busy with his complex programming shit…"

"Hah, that second one's more believable. That's quite typical of him, right?"

"You bet…but I wonder….hmmmm…."

….

Momo opened her laptop. "Wu-dear, I'M BACK! HAH! Now then…." She typed in her security answers and her password—super-protection, much. If only she knew how a certain someone spent the whole night going through her most personal files.

"I haven't written to Shiro-chan in DAYS! I missed him SO much—" her heart skipped a beat. There, in her folder was a text file with the title:

**REPLY FROM SHIRO-CHAN**

Momo shook her face, closed her eyes, scrubbed them, slapped her face and looked again. The file was still there—almost staring at her. It was there…just there. Sitting there. Stirring extreme curiosity and shock in her.

She spent a long time staring at the file, unable to believe what she was looking at. What the heck?

Shiro-chan wasn't real! He was a part of her imagination! Unless she had a spilt-personality who acted liked Shiro-chan (in which case she would've received a LOT of messages earlier), this was NOT possible. Not in the least. Finally, she blinked.

"V-V-VIRUS!"

She didn't dare get the cursor anywhere near the file. Instead, she opened her anti-virus software and run a quick-scan which covered all the disks.

No threats were found.

She right-clicked the file and clicked on the scanning option again.

No threats were found. Her hands, which were shivering, now shivered with much more vigor.

Her heart raced as she opened the file. She had never opened a file THIS slow.

_A reply from Shiro-chan? This must be some sort of a cruel joke…but…my Bluetooth activity was off…and my wi-fi was down too…yet...no…this is…not…_

Her eyes widened. "Shiro….chan?"

A message. In a text-file.

Momo could feel her pressure levels going over the top.

_This isn't happening….He…Shiro-chan…he…he's not supposed to….reply…_

…..

_Kumi Koda is a famous JPOP singer in Japan. I'm sure a lot of you know her. _

_No Regret and Butterfly are songs by her._

**REVIEW PLEASE! I won't be updating until April next year because of my national exams, so I'm sorry if its going to be 4 months late. o Make sure you don't forget this fic! XD**

**P.S: MERRY CHRISTMAS! And have a Happy New Year, folks! XD**


	3. Message3

Toshiro opened his eyes sleepily. Sunlight poured into the room, flashing light onto everything in his view. He moved around in his bed for sometime, and finally sat up. He ruffled his hair and rubbed his eyes, then lazily moved his gaze towards the tiny bedside-clock.

1:00 PM

His eyes widened. "WHAT THE HECK?"

In a flip-second he remembered what happened last night and he gave himself a facepalm.

"Shit, shit, SHIT! I overslept! More importantly…AAAARGH, never mind, it doesn't matter whether she reads that reply or not…I honestly don't give a damn. For all I know, she should just stop doing this crap—it pisses me off…More like, getting herself a _human _pen-pal would help. Tch."

He ruffled his hair again and reached for his cellphone.

"Can't believe some weird woman got me doing something like that—" His eyes jerked at the cellphone-screen. 53 unread messages. 32 miss-calls.

Toshiro twitched his eyes. "Ma….Masami….oh JOY."

….

Momo died. Well, atleast her brain did. She couldn't believe what she was reading—or I should say, what she HAD been reading, over and over again…for three whole hours, without moving an inch.

A reply from Shiro-chan. Oh like HELL, she MUST be dreaming right? But this damn dream didn't seem to end. She was sure the file was there. It was there, it wasn't some joke like she thought it was. And for three hours till now, she had been reading it, over and over again.

_Hinamori-san,_

_I've been reading all your entries time and again for quite a while now. _

_I know very well that you don't quite expect me to reply to your entries, but I'm sorry, I couldn't help it at all. I mean, I didn't reply for so long, after all. _

_Let me tell you this: you're a good kid, aren't you? Yes you are. I know it. Therefore, listen to me and do as I say. _

_First of all, forget me. Yes, I know it's painful, I know its hard. I'm sure you hate me for saying this, and I'm sure you think I'm NOT Shiro-chan for saying this, but hear me out. I AM Shiro-chan, and this is what I feel about you: You need friends. HUMAN friends. _

_Don't tell me you don't need them, I'm sure you do. I can understand how lonely you feel some days, and it pains me because there was nothing I could do for you. So there you have it. You should make some friends. Lots of them. I'm sure you will. Because no matter what you say, you're a good kid, and people will like you if you're nice to them. Just be yourself, and I'm sure you'll be able to make a LOT of friends. That's what you need the most. That's the truth. _

_So please, Hinamori-san. First thing today, I want you to delete me from your memories. I know they're precious little memories, but its for your own good, trust me. If you really believe in my existence, forget me. It may be hard, but its for the best. _

_Don't think I'm heartless. Please. I'm saying this because I sincerely care for you. Of course, you could still make friends and not forget me, right? WRONG. I believe its all my fault that you STILL don't have any friends. And I want that to change. _

_Well then, Hinamori-san. This is the first and last message I will ever write to you. Don't ignore this message, please. I want to see you live a happy life—not the way you are right now. You may be happy with the way you're living, but I'm not. And it's not right. This isn't the way you should be. Sending me messages like this…it would help much more if you could talk it out to someone. Really, that would be SO much better. And they would definitely be able to physically help you when you're in need. Unlike me…I know I've been your sole emotional support for a long time…but please. This is much too much. For the last time, forget me. _

_I can see a bright future ahead for you. Goodbye. _

_Shiro-chan_

Tear drops hit Wu's keyboard. Momo rubbed her eyes.

"Wu-chan…Shiro-chan…replied…" She smiled while crying. "He really replied…afterall…Shiro….chan…."

…..

"TOSHIRO. JERK!" Masami punched him on the head.

"AAAAARGH! Damn you! I SAID I was sorry didn't I?" Toshiro covered his head.

"Yeah? WELL THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT YOU RUINED MY MOVIE-COUPON! DAMN!"

"Oh come ON, big deal—"

"BIG DEAL IT IS! I called you over a HUNDRED times and messaged you a THOUSAND times, good grief where the HELL where you huh? I missed the morning show thanks to you, buddy-boy!"

"Correction. You called me 32 times and messaged me 53 times. Don't over-exaggerate."

"OH I SWEAR! You piss me off like HELL! Aaargh! I don't even know WHY we're best friends, GEEZ!"

"Beats me."

"Aaaaarrrgh! Anyway, let's go. Game Street's waiting! MUHAHAAH! Just you see, I'll beat you up! HAH!"

"I don't think so—" His eyes froze.

There she was. Momo. Toshiro stared at her for a long time. She was walking down the corner, god knew where.

"Ummm…Masami….I need to go home now…"

"WHAT THE INSANE HECK? NO WAY, BOY!"

"NO, I'm serious! You should call Keigo over to Game Street…"

"WHAT? NO! TOSHIRO!"

"Please! I'll join you later!" He ran for it. Masami screamed after him. When he realized it was useless, he flipped open his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Damn….hello? Keigo? Dude, could you come over to Game Street? Right. Seeya."

….

"Wait…why the hell am I stalking a weirdo while I could've been playing at Game-Street, kicking Masami's butt?" Toshiro shook his head. "I have a bad feeling that kid's spread the 'weirdo' virus onto me…"

He got a glimpse of her eyes—they were dull and void. She seemed to walking aimlessly, dragging her body along. Toshiro felt heavy at his chest…I mean, this was kinda his fault, right?

"Oh crap—" His eyes widened. "DON'T TELL ME—"

She walked straight into the woodland. It was a place filled with old people—and their sources of entertainment. A lot of benches were scattered here and there, and one in a while you had a vending machine which sold drinks and chocolates upon inserting a coin.

_What the hell is she doing here?_ He thought to himself.

He screened his vision onto her—and was shocked to see that her shoes were untied, her clothes were shabby and her laptop was strapped dangerously loose. Her hair was in a mess and she had dark circles under her eyes.

He felt sick. Incredibly sick.

_This is ALL my fault…_

At that moment, the laptop strapped onto her waist came loose and it fell to the floor. The girl kept on walking—and the very next moment, the strap pulled onto her legs, pushing her over. Down she went, chest first, banging her head on the—

"HEY YOU!"

Someone caught her arm and lounged her backwards, making sure she didn't fall. No, not 'someone'. Toshiro Hitsugaya, to be exact.

"Hey! Ummm…hey, miss…" He shook her. Her skin was very cold. She turned around very slowly. Toshiro could feel an eerie impulse going down his spine.

"You…you dropped your laptop…and please look where you're going." He bent down to pick up the tiny little laptop and handed it over.

She didn't take it. Instead, she stared at him, her huge hazel eyes turning wider and wider.

"H-Hey…" Toshiro felt incredibly awkward.

"Shiro…chan?" Her dry lips parted with great difficulty. Toshiro froze.

_OOOOOH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP! DON'T TELL ME—_

"Pardon?" He immediately snapped. Momo blinked and shook her head. "I'm sorry…"

Toshiro sighed. _SHIT THAT WAS CLOSE._

The next thing he knew, she clasped his shirt and looked up at him. "Will…you…be my friend?"

Toshiro froze again. _SHIT! WHY ME? WHY FREAKING ME?_

"Your friend…?" He stammered. What could he possibly say? If he refused, god knows what she'd do.

"Because…" She continued, her voice was breaking up. "Because Shiro-chan…told me to make friends…he told me that if I could make friends….I wouldn't be lonely anymore….Shiro-chan…." Tears rolled down her cheek. "Shiro-chan told me…to forget him…Shiro-chan…I don't know what I'll do without him…" Heavy tears flowed down her cheek.

Toshiro bit his lower lip. He then looked at her, his turquoise eyes filled with guilt.

"Are you angry at Shiro-chan?"

Momo rubbed her wet eyes. "No…I'm not angry at all…I'm…sad…" her tears didn't seem to stop.

"If that's the case…" He took a deep breath. "Don't give a SHIT for what he said to you, okay?"

Momo's eyes widened. "Wha….What?"

"That's right. I'll be your friend. Your best friend. And I'll make sure Shiro-chan apologizes to you, okay?"

Momo stared at him, her eyes wide. "You…will?"

Toshiro smiled—and he pushed her onto himself. She cried again, uncontrollably, but only this time, he was there to hug her.

_GOD DAMN IT I SWEAR. WHAT THE #$% AM I DOING? _

He hugged her again. "Hey, stop cyring. It's okay. I'm here."

_OH THAT'S RIGHT. I started this crap…so I gotta solve it, huh. Where's my 'genius' __**brain**__ NOW? DAMN IT._

….

**Review please! OOOOOOH GUESS WUT MAH EXAMS ARE OVAAAAAAAR /shot**

**Yes, I turned my vocabulary upside down for sure. Blame those exams, you bet. SUMMER VOCATION'S HEREEEEEEEEE! So here you are, I'll update once I get a bunch of reviews! Keep reading, guys! I'm super-sorry for the mega-late update! DX **


	4. Message4

Toshiro ruffled his hair so much that it hurt. None of this shit would've happened if he hadn't replied to that girl. But oh no, he just HAD to, didn't he? And now he found himself in the midst of a whirlpool of sentiments, twists and problems.

"Where do you live, Toshiro-san?" A girl with huge hazel eyes stared at him from his side.

"A-Ah, in an apartment in Kyousei Street. M-More importantly, where do YOU live? I should drop you home."

"Ah, that. I can get by on my own. You don't have to worry about me."

"That's all right. It's getting late afterall."

….

"Thank you very much." The girl bowed as they stepped in front of her apartment.

"Don't mention it. All right, I'll be leaving now…"

"A-Ah, To-Toshiro-san…"

"Yes?"

"I'm extremely sorry for imposing on you. I'm sorry if I said all sorts of strange things to you this evening. I couldn't think properly and I—"

"It's okay, Hinamori. It'd be great if you could go get some good sleep."

Momo looked down. "Yes…"

Toshiro turned and resumed to go—but he stopped. And he turned to glance at her. She was atleast twenty centimeters shorter than him. He sighed.

"Hey, do you have a cellphone?"

"Yes…but I don't use it…I never do…"

"Hang on, then. We'll exchange numbers." He extended his hand. Momo reached deep into one of her pockets and finally came out with a tiny little cellphone. He took hers and flipped open his much more 'fashionable' one and went about pressing on the keys.

"And yeah, don't hesitate to call me if you need me. I'll be available at all times."

His mind screamed at him. _NO, DON'T. Don't EVER call me. I'm NEVER free, damnit. Curse formalities. Shit._

Momo looked at Toshiro, her eyes still wide. "To…Toshiro-san…why…why are you helping me?"

He stopped pressing the keys. His cheeks began to turn into a shade of pale-red. Finally, after a period of silence, he sighed and returned her cellphone.

_We're best friends._ His own words rang in his mind.

"I'm sorry. I have no reason to help you. And I suppose I shouldn't from now on either. I'm sure you'd feel awkward."

Momo blinked and looked away. "I…"

"I'm seriously sorry. I shouldn't've butted into your life like this. I'm very sorry. How about we forget all that happened today?"

Momo looked up at him. "B-But, what about Shiro-chan?"

"I'll take care of that. But other than that, would you still want me, a complete stranger, to be your best-friend?"

Momo sighed. "To be frank with you, I don't. I mean, we study in the same school…but…."

"You don't want this to turn into something that the both of us would regret. Right?"

"Yes. Like, a relationship."

"Exactly. So what do you say?"

"Thank you, but I won't need your number." She smiled.

Toshiro smiled too. "All right. I'll be going now. Take care of yourself." He waved and he resumed walking. Momo waved. "Thanks a lot again!"

"Don't mention it." Toshiro smirked.

_Kid's got brains. Heh._

….

Momo closed the door behind her. She put Wu on the table and opened it up. But she had second thoughts about it—and she immediately closed it. She slugged on to her bed and shook her head.

"What's wrong with me…all this…all this is a dream, right?"

….

Toshiro pressed the phone onto his ears.

"Yeah, okay. Sure thing. I've mailed you the zip version. Yeah. Uh-huh. You just have to correct my code. That's right. Okay, Kazuri. G'night." He hung up.

He then sighed heavily and closed his laptop.

8:30 PM.

He spread out in his bed and looked at the ceiling.

"Let's see…I solved MY issue with that kid…now I gotta fix that Shiro-chan problem…Hmmm…." He closed his eyes. "Judging the way that girl's been acting so far…."

He immediately got up and his eyes shot open. He grabbed his laptop and began the usual type-typing.

"This SHOULD solve it…"

….

Momo couldn't sleep. No. Not without her usual entry to Shiro-chan. But what did she mean by 'usual' entry NOW? Things were no more the same. Her little lame life had come to a twisty little patch, and she didn't know what to do. At long last, she gathered the courage to open Wu up again, and she maneuvered her way towards her main folder.

'Shiro-chan'.

Click.

Her eyes widened and she could feel her brains choking her eyes. WHAT?

**Shiro_Message_1**

A titled text message. AGAIN. HECK. THE. WHAT. But this time, she immediately opened the text message, and she began to read.

_Dear Hinamori-san,_

_This is an apology. I'm extremely sorry for what I had done to you. Had I known this earlier, I would've never done something like this. One of my acquaintances told me how stupid I'd been acting, and really, I'm the one to be condemned. _

_I never knew that you held me so close to your heart. I'm an idiot for being so shallow-hearted to a girl like you—to someone who entrusts all their feelings to me. I have misbehaved, yet, I promise not to do this ever again. I will go back to being the silent Shiro-chan that you adored, the one sitting behind the screen of your imaginations, patiently listening and waiting. I'll go back to being what I was, and I shall never use the freedom that I made use of today. For as you and I can see, it has brought about the worst possible consequences. _

_I hope to read many more entries from you. Do keep writing to me, and let me be your one and only pillar of emotional-support. Let me be your little Shiro-chan again. I'm sure life will go back to being what it was. Consider this to be bad dream, and delete this message once you are done. _

_Write to me whenever you want, however you feel. I'm always there for you. I promise._

_Shiro-chan _

Momo re-read that message over and over again. "I….I…guess Toshiro-san told him…" She smiled. "Shiro-chan, you're so nice…"

_One thing's for sure. Shiro-chan is not someone of my imagination anymore. He's a real person. And he's out there, somewhere, listening to me. Though I still don't know how this is actually possible…_

She immersed herself in deep thought for a long time, and finally opened a new text document.

…

Toshiro opened his eyes sleepily and gazed at the alarm-clock. 7:30 AM.

"Crap. SCHOOL…" He got up in bed and grabbed for his laptop.

I wonder if that kid replied…I bet she would've…

He opened his way into her computer.

'Shiro-chan'

Click.

**Re-Shiro_Message_1**

He smugged. "Interesting…"

He opened it and began to read.

_My dear little Shiro-chan_

_What happened today wasn't your fault. It was mine. You were right about me being such an anti-social freak. I'll do something about it, just you see. _

_And another important thing. I thought over it for a very long time, and I've finally decided about it. You say that you misused the freedom that you were given….but I think otherwise. Your words actually opened my eyes to a lot of my faults. I'm the idiot. Because I couldn't take in what you said to me, even though all you wanted was my good. I'm the one at fault. I was the one who lost faith in you. And I hate myself for that. But now, I know. _

_I want you to keep writing to me. You're the only person I'd actually want to communicate with. And if you're my Shiro-chan, I'm sure you'll write to me as much as I write you. _

_You will, won't you, Shiro-chan? My dear little, cute little Shiro-chan?_

_Yes you will. I believe in you. _

_I want you to keep on writing to me like this. I promise I won't act like an idiot when I read your replies. I swear, I freaking swear. I just want to read more from you. I'm sorry if I sound self-centered or selfish, but right now, I feel that I need your advice the most. Your words—I value them as much as value my feelings. _

_So please, Shiro-chan. I know I'm imposing on you, like hell I am…but…I'm quite desperate. I'm sure you understand my situation. _

_Momo_

Toshiro could feel his soul dying.

_THIS. KID. _

He swore a thousand times inside his head and he gave himself a facepalm.

"SHIT! BULLSHIT! ALL THE HOTSHIT IN THIS ENTIRE UNIVERSE! WHY THE HECK _ME_? AND HERE I WAS THINKING THIS WAS SOME SORT OF A SOLUTION! **DAMN IT**."

….

**Review please! Sorry for the late update~ (;A;) **


	5. Message5

"…and here I was almost DYING during that freaky chemistry lecture. Did you notice that Sensei actually went wrong when he—HEY. TOSHIRO!" Masami looked at his white haired friend sleeping on his desk.

Keigo laughed. "Well, what do we have HERE?" Masami grabbed his chemistry textbook and whacked Toshiro on the head.

"WAKE UP, DAMNIT! And here I was thinking that you'd be LISTENING for heaven's sake!"

The white-haired guy winced and immediately shot up, his turquoise eyes staring wide at two of his friends. Masami frowned angrily while Keigo would've very well liked to roll on the floor—laughing.

"W-What's wrong? Who hit me?" He held his head painfully. "That really hurt…"

"Toshiro, what's wrong with you? I've never seen you sleep in class before! And you were late this morning too. What's going on?" Masami seemed worried. Toshiro lay back in his desk and sighed.

"Stuff happened. Don't ask me, PLEASE."

Keigo ceased laughing and stared at Toshiro as though he were some specimen. "I think I know what's going on." A pair of shocked turquoise eyes stared at him.

"W-W-What?"

Masami crossed his arms. "Oi, Keigo, make it sound REAL, okay?"

"Are you kidding me? This is what happens to all guys at one point of time or the other. It's natural."

Toshiro scowled. "Pardon?"

"YOU…" Keigo pointed at him dramatically. "…GOT YOURSELF A GIRLFRIEND, DIDN'T YOU?"

Silence prevailed for a few seconds. Keigo continued like an opera-artist. "In other words, YOU'RE IN LOVE."

Silence prevailed for a few more seconds. Finally—Toshiro punched his desk and stood up.

"NOW LISTEN UP, FOOL. Your first statement was absolute BATSHIT. I did NOT get myself a girlfriend—I have no time for crap like that. Who'd want a girl worrying about you all day long anyways? Women are overrated these days, and there's no one around here who suits my taste. Your second statement was absolute BULLSHIT. I'M NOT THAT KINDA PERSON, DAMNIT. If I were, I would've got myself a girlfriend a few years ago. And your entire interpretation of my current situation is SO DAMN SHITTY that I can't explain, damnit!"

Silence prevailed as he slumped back into his seat, gasping for breath. Masami and Keigo stared.

Toshiro stared back. "Well? Questions cleared?"

Keigo nodded and gave him a thumbs-up. "Sure thing, dude. You're a _Tsundere_, and I know it."

"DAMN YOU KEIGO. GO DIE IN A HOLE."

Keigo looked the other way and smirked. "Oh I'm sorry. You're a _Deredere_."

"KEIGO ASANO. YOU SHALL FEEL THE HEAT OF MY WRATH THIS VERY MINUTE."

"Calm down, Toshiro. We can fix this, just…stop burning." Masami pulled him down. "And Keigo—SHUT UP."

…

"Did you hear that? That Hinamori woman from 2-B was making friends with random people all of a sudden? Something's gone wrong with her, really. All of a sudden she starts getting all perked up and crazier than she already is, and she's been freaking out a lot of people in her class."

"U-Umm, she sorta made friends with m-me too…"

"W-WHAT?"

"She's really nice, really. Just a bit…umm…strange."

Toshiro was watching from afar and he shook his head. "Looks like she still hasn't got the 'socializing' bit right…tch." However, he smiled. "Well, atleast she's trying. Hard."

Momo slid open the door to her class and came out as Toshiro turned to go, but at that very moment, their eyes met. Momo blinked and immediately smiled, running towards him. Toshiro could feel his soul dying again.

_OH DAMN HERE SHE COMES…_

"Toshiro-san! Hello there!" She waved.

Toshiro corresponded. "Hey."

"What have you got now?"

"Math. So, umm, I heard you were making friends and stuff…"

"Sure did. From now on, I'm going to take Shiro-chan's suggestions very seriously. And I'll work very hard!"

"I see, that's good." He smiled. _DAAAAAAAAAMN YOU._

"But…a lot of people run away when I try to socialize…I guess they think I'm a weirdo after all…"

"W-Well, it WILL take a bit of time for them to change, Hinamori. Be patient with them."

"You're right." She smiled. "And ah, Toshiro-san, thank you very much for conveying my message to Shiro-chan. I was so happy you could fix us."

"Ah, don't mention it. It was my pleasure." _NOT IT WASN'T AND I JUST RUINED MY LIFE._

"I asked Shiro-chan to message me whenever he could…I wonder how he took it. I know I was being very imposing…but…"

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'd be happy to help you." He gave her another fake-smile. _NO, HIS SOUL IS DYING. PLEASE STOP THIS NONSENSE._

"I hope so." She smiled. "But he hasn't replied yet…"

He froze. "I-I-I'm sure he will, don't worry, o-okay?"

"Okay. Well, seeya later. "

"Seeya."

….

Toshiro ruffled his hair as he lazed around in the library. "Damn…it."

He pondered about the Shiro-chan issue for a very long time—so long that he didn't notice that his phone was ringing. He immediately picked it up. Masami. Toshiro sighed, but answered anyway.

"Yeah, hello?"

"TOSHIRO HITSUGAYA. WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"What's wrong?"

"We have a math lecture by Akiragawa-sensei, you moron! I'll give you FIVE minutes. Come to the Math Department RIGHT NOW."

Toshiro ruffled his hair some more. "But I'm already adept with—"

"YOU GOTTA COME."

"Masami...seriously, just tell Sensei that I'm feeling sick or something. Tell him I have a headache."

"WHAT? What's wrong with you? YOU'D DIE FOR AKIRAGAWA-SENSEI'S LECTURES!"

" I know, I know, but the one scheduled for today is something I taught myself a month ago. Advanced Theory on Integrals, right?"

"Y-Yeah, but—"

"I'll skip it. Sorry dude, I'm preoccupied with something else…"

"I understand…though this is seriously weird of you. And, Toshiro?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you seriously get yourself a girlfriend?"

"MASAMI. NOT YOU TOO!"

….

Momo stretched as she walked out of the Arts Department. She looked around and smiled a rare smile of satisfaction. She had made quite a few friends that day, and she felt like she'd turned over a brand new chapter in her so called 'lame' life. As she walked towards one of the benches, she heard beeping noises from her laptop-pouch which was strapped to her waist. Her eyes widened and she ran towards one of the benches, loosening the straps and taking out Wu at the same time.

"It must be Shiro-chan!" Her heart raced as she sat down comfortably and logged in. The tiny little laptop showcased, in a few seconds, what she wanted to see the most:

**Shiro_Message_2**

Momo almost squealed out of joy and she lost no time in opening the seemingly short text file. As soon as it opened up, she glued her vision onto the screen.

_Dear Hinamori-san_

_I understand what you want of me, and I'm honored that you value my meager words with your feelings. Really, I don't deserve so much from someone like you. _

_But then again, you'd probably disagree to the above statement. Either way, I am, in fact, feeling quite confused and baffled at the moment. Writing to you everyday would really be a pain, and I really would find this rather troublesome. However, since I'm a fragment of your imagination, I must do you justice. And therefore, I promise I'd do my best in replying to all the text messages you send me via email from now on._

_I hope I live upto your expectations. _

_Shiro-chan_

Momo could feel the happiness bursting through her veins. She felt high—she was sure she was. She took some time to register this feeling of unbelievable happiness, and finally, she managed to set her hands onto the keyboard.

….

Toshiro covered his face with his right arm.

"Damn it, what the insane HECK was I thinking…" He revealed his sharp turquoise eyes and stared at the Library's ceiling. "If I didn't care, I could've just denied her request...if I REALLY, didn't care…but I…I'm being forced into doing this—"

Beep. His heart skipped a beat as he jumped up, grabbing his laptop. "Oh god..." His eyes widened as he maneuvered into her system once again.

**Re-Shiro_Message_2**

He stared.

_Dear Shiro-chan_

_You made my day. Now that you've agreed to reply to all of my mails. I was so happy, that for a moment I could feel myself flying. But once I calmed down, I came to see this in a broader light._

_I still can't believe that you're a fragment of my imagination—I really can't digest that fact. You are a real person, and Toshiro-san knows you. And then, if I were to ask you to spend your precious time replying to my worthless mails, that would be beyond torture._

_And therefore, I take back what I'd requested earlier. I can see that it's a bit too troublesome for you, and I really wouldn't want to ruin your days. So there, I'll try my best to take care of myself…and I think I'll go back to believing in that silent little Shiro-chan who listens to all of my worries. _

_I…don't deserve your time. I really don't. I know I'm going against all that I've said until now, but then I realized that I was, in a way, putting you in loads of trouble, I was unknowingly blackmailing you. And for that, I couldn't forgive myself. I know I must stop pestering you over this…it hurts me greatly to let go of this opportunity…but honestly, if you find me all that troublesome, let it go. If there's one person in this entire world that I care for, it's you. And I would in no way want to give you a hard time._

_I honestly don't deserve your patience. _

_Momo_

Toshiro continued staring at the screen, his mind throwing up a billion questions into his mind.

"She…she…"

….

Beep.

Momo jumped up from bed. It was way past midnight.

"M-Must be Shiro-chan! Whoa!" She ran towards her study and pulled out Wu, banging away at the keyboard.

"Th-There!" She clicked open the file. And as she began reading, her heart raced, and her hazel eyes widened by the second.

…

Toshiro lay on his bed, unable to sleep. He went about reading his reply to her, over and over again, unable to comprehend why he replied that way. He was amused at himself. What was he thinking when he composed that reply? What was going on in his mind? Why the hell did he even care to reply? WHY DID HE DO THIS?

He sighed and flipped open his laptop, reading what he'd sent the girl.

_Dear Hinamori-san_

_To be honest, I never thought I'd read something like this from you. And before you continue with degrading yourself, let me tell you this: You deserve all the time in my world. _

_Firstly, I deeply apologize for having said that replying to your mails would mean troublesome to me. I'm very sorry, I was being an idiot. I too take back what I'd mentioned. I don't find you irritating at all. You're the most considerate person I've ever met so far. You're so unique, you're like this strange field of ice lying in front of me, for me to explore and understand. And there's no way I'd let this go._

_Before we continue, I want you to get one thing straight: I want you to believe that I am nothing more than an individual fragment of your imagination. It will take you sometime to believe this, and I don't mean to deceive you, but please. Things will be a lot easier for the both of us if you could stop seeing me as a kind person who listens to your worries. Consider me the way I was before. Someone of your imagination. Someone you'd trust with your life. _

_I want to support you and console you. I mean it. _

_Do confide in me. I'm always there for you. Never forget that. And PLEASE, continue mailing me. Above all costs._

_Shiro-chan_

He ruffled his hair and squirmed around in his bed.

"Why am I doing this to myself…?" His eyes shot open as Keigo's words resonated throughout his ears:

"_In other words, YOU'RE IN LOVE."_

A light shade of red appeared on his icy cheeks as he stared at his sheets, unable to believe himself.

"There's…no way…."

….

_Tsundere: A person who's all cold and stoic in the outside but is actually soft-hearted and kind in the inside._

_Deredere: A person who's completely lovey-dovey._

**Review please! I'm very sorry for the late update O **


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